After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 448 A Familiar Poison

Jiang Xiaoqi took out a pair of sheepskin gloves from his spatial storage and put them on. He then followed the jailer into the cell where several prisoners who had already died were being held.

Looking around, five of the seventeen prisoners had died, including two who were basically cleared of suspicion after interrogation. Luckily, Chief Zhao was not among them.

However, he was so frightened that he didn't dare to close his eyes all night.

I had intended to use the high-tech equipment provided by the system to see what kind of poison these prisoners were using, but upon entering, I realized that the poison seemed familiar.

This is very similar to the poison I used to pretend to be poisoned when I was a child, at least in terms of smell.

Could this matter also involve Marquis Chengen, Yang Guozhong?

This person has kept a low profile for the past few years and has a weak presence.

If it weren't for his status as the "Imperial Brother-in-Law," the imperial court would probably have forgotten about him.

A person doesn't suddenly go from being ambitious to being unambitious, unless they hide what's out in the open...

Based on the various pieces of information he obtained from Lord Chen of the Hanlin Academy, he concluded that the Emperor's brother-in-law, Yang Guozhong, and the Empress were not on the same side.

Although the second prince was the legitimate son, and given his circumstances, Yang Guozhong was essentially looking for another powerful backer for himself.

While he was pondering, the jailer rushed in, looking flustered, and said, "Lord Jiang, the Minister has ordered us to bury all these people together, saying that he's afraid that if it goes on for too long, an epidemic will break out."

Jiang Xiaoqi was speechless. Wasn't the purpose of this all too obvious? Was this something a high-ranking official would do?

Sir, at least find an excuse, find someone to take the blame, right?

Fortunately, I'm not without powerful connections.

"Lord Jiang, Minister Lin of the Ministry of War has also arrived. The two ministers are currently facing off outside!"

Wow! That's just in time!

Jiang Xiaoqi took off his gloves and strode out. He saw the Minister of Justice and Minister of War, Lin, locked in a tense standoff.

The Minister of Justice blushed and shouted, "Minister Lin, this epidemic is no small matter. These corpses all died suddenly and must be buried as soon as possible!"

Minister Lin sneered: "Sudden death? Wasn't it poisoning? Buried so hastily, who knows if there's a conspiracy involved?"

"The Ministry of Justice handled the case so hastily; could it be that they received bribes from the murderer?!"

"You! You! You! You're spouting nonsense!"

"I'm making baseless accusations? Don't you see what disgusting things you've done with the Ministry of Justice! At this rate, who knows how many more wrongful convictions the Ministry of Justice will create!"

"I... I'm going to report you to His Majesty! How dare you interfere in the affairs of my Ministry of Justice!"

"Hey! As an official of the imperial court, can't I even uphold justice when I see injustice on the road? Can't I even stop people from taking lives so lightly?!"

The Ministry of Justice belongs to the Great Zhou Dynasty, to His Majesty, not to a mere minister's private prison!

"Don't do all the dirty work in the Ministry of Justice, lest you tarnish its reputation and His Majesty has to take the blame for it!"

The two ministers went back and forth for several rounds, but in the end, Minister Lin gained the upper hand.

Having come from a military background, his aura was extraordinary.

With reason and evidence, he left the other party speechless.

The Minister of Justice entered upright but was carried out horizontally by his subordinates.

There was nothing I could do; my blood rushed to my head, and I fainted from anger.

Minister Lin dusted off the corner of his robe before turning around to inquire about the specifics of Jiang Xiaoqi's situation.

"Sir, there are too many people around here, let's find another place to talk."

Jiang Xiaoqi wasn't worried about the Emperor's spies in the Ministry of Justice prison, but he was worried that someone surnamed Yang had also planted someone there.

Walls have ears, so we must be careful.

"Alright, let's go to the South City Tea House then, it's quiet there."

Before leaving, Minister Lin gave a wink to the two tall jailers, who understood immediately and instructed the mortuary to place the five corpses in their places.

Jiang Xiaoqi also singled out the remaining prisoners who were not suspected and arranged for them to be placed in slightly better cells.

To prevent any more people from dying of poisoning in the Ministry of Justice prison, Jiang Xiaoqi directly borrowed people from the Ministry of War to take over part of the "security check" work for visits to the Ministry of Justice.

Of course, it was reported to His Majesty the Emperor.

Nancheng Teahouse

This is also part of Minister Lin's family's property.

Well, to be precise, it was property under Madam Lin's name, which was brought to the Minister's residence as part of her dowry.

Before Madam Lin entered the household, the Lin family lived a rather meager existence, as Minister Lin, being a military man, did not know how to manage a business.

There are no direct elders in the family; the housekeeper manages all the household expenses, and the family is always short of money.

The old steward was already very stingy, but he still often couldn't pay the servants their monthly wages.

With no other option, he could only ask the imperial court for an advance on his salary, but he couldn't pay it back every year. In later generations, he would definitely be considered a credit card slave.

Living beyond one's means is a metaphor for the former Minister Lin.

However, all of this changed after Madam Lin entered the family and became the matriarch of the Lin family. Although Madam Lin only gave birth to one daughter, she did a lot of work to make money for the Minister's mansion.

With hundreds of acres of wasteland put to use, not only were the tenants able to eat their fill, but the annual surplus from the land was enough to completely cover the expenses of the Minister's residence.

As long as one is frugal and spends money in a planned way, there is no need to use Minister Lin's salary at all.

It was also in the third year after Madam Lin entered the family that Minister Lin finally escaped the hardship of living on advances of his salary.

In the capital, Madam Lin owned four teahouses, with branches in the east, south, west, and north of the city.

Minister Lin would go for tea wherever it was closest to him, which was very random.

He wouldn't inform the shopkeeper or staff beforehand, so the teahouse was a very reliable venue for Minister Lin to discuss matters.

Upon entering the private room of the South City Teahouse, Minister Lin and Jiang Xiaoqi sat down on either side. The waiters promptly served various teas and snacks, arriving quietly and leaving quietly.

Minister Lin cut to the chase: "Lord Jiang, tell me your opinion on this case."

Jiang Xiaoqi took a sip of tea and, without beating around the bush, slowly said, "My lord, this poison seems familiar. The matter in the Ministry of Justice prison is probably related to Marquis Chengen, Yang Guozhong."

"Emperor Cheng'en, Yang Guozhong?"

"Yes, although he has kept a low profile in recent years, people's ambitions don't disappear for no reason. He has probably been making plans in secret for a long time."

Minister Lin frowned: "Yang Guozhong... this man is indeed not to be underestimated. Do you think he was the one who poisoned me?"

"It's not just a feeling, it's a strong belief that there's a high probability, unless the poison is very common and can be bought anywhere, but that's not the case!"

"Oh? Why do you see it?"

Minister Lin knew that Jiang Xiaoqi had already examined the bodies, but Jiang Xiaoqi was not a coroner, so how could he possibly tell what kind of poison the prisoners had been given?

Jiang Xiaoqi raised her eyes, "Because, the Marquis of Chengen once also gave me this poison!"

"What!?" Minister Lin jumped up from his chair.

"But I was lucky; I discovered it in advance and didn't die."

Jiang Xiaoqi put down her teacup and spoke as if it were someone else's business, not taking the poisoning incident as a big deal at all.